Sindhu feels she is back to her best

Sindhu feels she is back to her best

Ace Indian shuttler feels that after her title win at the Macau Open she has fully recovered from a foot injury.

Its never easy for a sportsperson to make a successful comeback after a serious injury. More so if that person happens to be in a sport like badminton which demands a very high level of physical fitness. PV Sindhu’s title win at the Macau Open (that was a hat-trick) recently coupled with a runner up finish at the Denmark Super Series showed that the Hyderabadi girl was on her way back to the pinnacle of her game. “I am quite happy that I could win the Macau Open for the third time and also finish runner up at the Denmark Super Series. After being sidelined for nearly six months it is so important to win a title. Winning a title gives one the confidence –something so important for a professional sportsperson,” she said.What gladdened Sindhu most, was the fact that she could script wins over some of the best. “What really made me happy was the fact that I could beat some of the best in the world. In this context, my win over Carolina Marin (World and All England champion), Li Xuerui (Olympic champion) was really heartening. For me it was these wins that really showcased that I am nearly back to my best,” said Sindhu.Sindhu also felt that her win against Mitasi Minati in the final of the Macau Open was very satisfying. “I think my win over Mitasi was a very satisfying one. She had beaten me in the Japan Open earlier this year and I was eager to avenge that loss. I was also happy in the manner in which I was able to play at the net. I controlled that area well and once I do that I knew my chances of winning are really high,” she said.Asked about the season ahead, Sindhu said: “In January, I am starting with the IBL and then there are so many tournaments like the Syed Modi, Indian Open etc. Also being an Olympic year, each and every tournaments will be important. I wish to improve more and perform well.”It was a roller-coaster ride for Sindhu this season as she lost a lot of time after suffering a navicular stress fracture in her left leg, which kept her out of action for a few months from important events such as the All England Championship and India Super Series.Once back, she faced poorly with early round defeats at the Australian Open , Indonesian Open and Chinese Taipei. She did notch up a win over Olympic champion Li Xuerui but faltered against Mitani at Japan. However, she fought back again with a place at the Denmark final.Talking about the season gone by, Sindhu said: «Season has been fine. After recovering from injury, it has not been that great but I have been playing well. I›m completely fine now. Recently in Denmark I played the final, it was my first super series final and also winning Macau was great.Kidambi Srikanth is showing signs of having regained his old form as he entered the men’s singles final of the $120,000 Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold with a straight games victory in Jakarta on Saturday. The top seed needed just 37 minutes to oust local man Ginting Anthony 21-13, 21-19 in the semifinal, played at the Gedung Graha Cakrawala. With the win, the Guntur-born levelled his head-to-head to 1-all against the Indonesian. Lately, Srikanth has had one of the worst runs in his international career, having exited five of his last six tournaments in the first round. The only time he did not lose the opener was when he lost the second round at the Denmark Open in October. However, fortunes seem to have changed as this performance will give him the confidence going ahead. This is his fourth final this year after winning two (India Open Superseries and Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold) and losing one (India Grand Prix Gold). Significantly, all three performances came at the start of the year after which the 22-year-old went through a slump. On Saturday, he led from the start in the first game and never lost the lead. He played like a winner, keeping well ahead of his World No.39 opponent. He took an early lead of 7-2 and from 12-all, lost only one point in the next 10 points played to easily pocket the game. It was the reverse in the second game as Anthony came back strongly to go 7-2 up. But Srikanth completely turned the tables on the Indonesian to clinch 14 of the next 15 points and go 16-8 ahead!

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